Introducing one of our talented October suppliers…

It’s Saturday and we have an exciting supplier reveal for you!

Have you hear the news about our hot-off-the-press October theme? Our theme will be FANTASY LANDS and let’s just say; if you are a fan of magical other worlds you are going to love this box! Click HERE for more info on what to expect from our October box, to watch our flashy theme trailer and to subscribe!

As you know by now, here at Book Box Club HQ we love working with new artists and searching high and low for illustrators we love. We have such a blast discussing ideas for items and working with so many talented people on our themes each month is a real treat. For our October box we are working with not one but TWO very talented artists on an item that we know you guys are going to LOVE! We’re beyond excited to be working with this particular duo because their individual styles are so awesome (seriously, go and check them out using the links below). In celebration of our arty October dream team we thought we would get to know our featured artists a little bit better with our Crafty Q&A….

Liana Kangas and Briana Mora
Book Box Club Crafty Q&A

Liana Kangas

Briana Mora

We know you love books – so tell us about your favourites
Briana: There’s so many! A couple of years ago I got really into paranormal romances, and that led into YA fiction which I now adore. I wish I’d had books like this to read when I was in high school. A few standout faves have been A Darker Shade of Magic, Eidolon, Nevernight, and the series that makes my heart flutter- A Court of Thorns and Roses. I will never get over Rhysand.

Liana: Recently I’ve been reading a lot of biographies! Some of my favorites are Amy Poehler’s Yes Please! – Tina Fey’s Bossypants, and Felicia Day’s You’re Never Weird on the Internet. Other than that, I’m still getting through VE Schwab’s series!

Which of your creations are you proudest of and why?

Briana: I did a dark fantasy piece last year of a mermaid that really encompasses everything I want my work to be. I want to create female characters in my art that are powerful, mysterious,beautiful and a bit deadly, and I think that piece hit all the right notes.

Briana’s Studio

Liana: Honestly I look back on a lot of my comics work and am proud at all of it just seeing how far I’ve come with improving my art and the stories I get to tell with other collaborators. One of them, Where We Live by Image Comics, I have a piece with Erica Schultz and it’s by far one of the most powerful projects I’ve worked on to this date.

What does your arty area look like?

Briana: Haha It’s usually a mess! I try to keep things that inspire me nearby, so I have a few favorite books, lots of pretty crystals, and a board where I keep art that’s influencing my current work. A sleepy cat is often not far away.

Liana: It’s usually pretty messy but I tried to pick up a little before taking a photo! I collect tons of stuff, but I tried to curate a little space where I work of stuff that inspires me.

What do you eat whilst you paint and what do you listen to?

Briana: Eating varies, but tea is constant. My favorite is English Rose Black tea. It tastes the way I imagine faerie tea would taste like. Music is a must, the moodier the better. Lately I’ve been listening to Grimes’ Art Angels album a lot.

Liana: I try to eat pretty clean but I’ll have the occasional pizza every now and then! I have tons of playlists of stuff I listen to, anywhere from metal to chill hop, but most of the time I put on some television in the background for noise to feel less isolated!

Have you ever had an artistic disaster?​

Liana’s workspace

Briana: I think MOST pieces go through an ‘Oh no this is a disaster’ phase! Lol. Usually they turn out ok in the end, so trusting in the process and not giving up is important. Even the bad pieces are a learning experience.

Liana: Haha, once for one of my largest conventions, I set a cup of coffee on a counter in the dark and it spilled all over all of my art prints and merch. It was last year’s SPX and everyone was SO KIND at the con, and super supportive after me tweeting about it. I’m actually laughing as I type this.

What inspires you to craft and how did you begin?

Briana: I’ve been passionate about art since I was little. My mom is an artist and a lot of our pastimes together were crafty, so I developed a love for it early on. Fantasy books and things like playing Dungeons & Dragons really inspire my work. It’s a way to make these wonderful fictional worlds and characters more tangible.

Liana: I’ve always loved art, but when I met Bri in college I was super inspired by her to continue pursuing it, painted a ton, we even tried a collaboration! After trying a ton a different mediums, I started doing art full time around 2014, and started comics in 2015.

Apart from making beautiful things and reading what do you like doing?

Briana: Since moving back to Florida, I love going to the theme parks! I can’t get enough of the roller coasters, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, and recently dipped my toe into Disney pin trading. I also play a lot of tabletop games with friends.

Liana: I love hanging out with my dogs, collecting vinyl and comics, and generally being social. In the past two years I picked up playing Star Wars and regular D&D, and traveling a lot for conventions.

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What an amazing collaboration this is going to be. The item that the girls are illustrating will be BEAUTIFUL but also super useful. If you would like to check out more art by Brianna and Liana check out the links below:

If you haven’t joined our club yet… now is the time! October FANTASY LANDS boxes and Purely Books parcels are available from our website now. As ever, we only have a limited number of boxes available so get yours before they all disappear!